An airbag activates when the airbag sensors, which are normally located in the front and/or side areas of a vehicle, are activated by the force of an impact or collision. The force applied to the airbag sensors has to meet or exceed a predetermined set point in order to cause airbag deployment.
Vehicle airbags are not supposed to engage until a sufficient force, or impact, is applied to the area of the vehicle that contains the sensors. However, if the sensors are faulty, an airbag can go off for no apparent reason. Faulty sensors can detect impact forces when none are present.
For an airbag to operate properly, the airbag sensors--which, depending on the make, year and model of vehicle, can be placed in numerous locations on a vehicle--must be placed in the proper locations. Airbag sensors that are misplaced in regards to vehicle make, model and year can cause the airbag to go off at the wrong times or in improper ways.
The wiring that connects the airbag sensors on the chassis of a vehicle to the actual airbag component inside the vehicle steering wheel has to be installed correctly and functioning properly for proper airbag operation. If any part of the wiring is faulty, or if the wiring is installed incorrectly, the airbag can be triggered to go off at the wrong times or not at all, and the functionality of the airbag will be compromised.
